Virtualization Fundamentals in CCNA

Virtualization is the process of operating a virtual computer. Software used in virtualization enables you to run virtual systems, hardware, and applications on a single machine. Most frequently, it is utilized to run various operating systems, including Windows and Linux, on a single device. To make the most of the hardware, virtualization allows you to divide up huge systems into numerous smaller ones. Think of servers, for instance. The usage of virtualization enables you to divide a single server for several purposes rather than using many servers to perform distinct activities. As a result, one of the servers can be divided to manage both mail and apps rather than having servers for networking, email, and apps that aren’t being used to their full potential. The effectiveness of the server is maximized by doing this. By utilizing the hardware of the server, such as the processor, RAM, and storage memory, virtualization can turn a single physical server into a number of virtual PCs (virtual machines) that serve as digital computers. Each virtual machine operates independently, just like an actual computer would. Therefore, virtualization is the ideal way to utilize a single machine.

Large data centers that provide website hosting to the public use cloud computing. The foundation of cloud computing is the complete virtualization of servers. The large data center uses a single, high-end server to host a number of websites that may be accessed from any public IP address and require different forms of authentication. The user only paid for the services that he actually needed. If a website only required 10 GB of space to be hosted, the customer would only pay the service provider for 10 GB of space. He does not have to pay for the entire SAN (Storage Area Network) or NAS (Network Attached Storage) memory setup. Only computer hardware virtualization is responsible for this. Virtual machines can include computers, servers, routers, firewalls, etc. You can establish a virtual machine on a physical host machine and place smaller virtual machines inside of it according to your needs.

Key Components of Virtualization:

The following list includes these three elements of Virtual Network Structure:

• Host Machine: The first element of a virtual network structure is the host machine. A host machine is the actual piece of hardware on which the virtual machines are running. It comprises things like CPU, memory, and storage. Virtual machines utilize these resources in accordance with how they were configured during the virtualization process. Virtualization software is used to create and manage virtual machines on hosts, which are actual computers.
• Virtual Machine: Virtual Machines make up the remaining portion of the virtual network structure. The virtual object that exists on the host machine is called a virtual machine. It replicates one physical device, virtually. In other words, a virtual host machine creates a virtual machine with all the resources it requires. Every virtual device believes it is the only one in the system. But the host machine may have a wide variety of virtual devices. This multiple usages is already virtualization’s primary goal.
• Hypervisor: Hypervisor is the final element in a virtual network structure. The essential component of virtualization is a hypervisor. Another name for it is Virtual Machine Manager. In essence, a hypervisor is a piece of software used to build and oversee virtual computers on the host machine. The primary function of the hypervisor is to control virtual devices and supply them with the appropriate system resources. According to their methods of operation, there are two types of hypervisors. Here are some of them:
  • Type 1 Hypervisor (Bare-Metal Hypervisor): Bare-Metal Hypervisor, also known as Type 1 Hypervisor, is software that is installed and operated directly on top of the host machine’s physical hardware. They run on a separate operating system. Devices used in data centers typically employ this form of the hypervisor. High availability, higher performance, and scalability are the benefits of Type 1 Hypervisors (Bare-Metal Hypervisors). because they have direct access to system resources. Examples of this category – VMware ESXi and Hyper-V.
  • Type 2 Hypervisor Hosted Hypervisors): In contrast to Type 1, which operates directly on the hardware, Type 2 hypervisors, also known as hosted hypervisors, run on operating systems that are installed on the hardware. Each Virtual Machine operates on the Hypervisor in this system. Multiple operating systems can typically be run on physical hardware using this kind of hypervisor. There is just one operating system, and that is where Hypervisor is found. We can also build other operating systems on it. A management console program is not required for Type 2 Hypervisor (Hosted Hypervisor). This benefit is significant. In turn, this increases the popularity of this sort of hypervisor. Examples of Type 2 Hypervisors include VMware Fusion, VirtualBox, Virtual PC, Mac OS X Parallels, and VMware Workstation (Hosted Hypervisors).

Working:

Hypervisors, computer programs that divide up actual resources so that virtual computers can utilize them, are the foundation of the process. There are two types of hypervisors: “bare metal” hypervisors, which operate like an operating system by running guests’ virtual machines on the hardware of a system, and “hosted” hypervisors, which behave more like regular programs that may be started and stopped as needed.

Types of virtualization:

There are various types of virtualization that apply to other components of the IT architecture, including:

• Data Virtualization: Data virtualization combines data from several sources and makes it accessible to any application, regardless of source, location, or format. Between the applications that access the data and the systems that store it, a software layer is built. The layer then accepts a data request from an application and returns results that may come from different systems.
• Application Virtualization: You can execute software using application virtualization without actually installing it on your operating system. For instance, you might use this to run a Windows application under Linux. You can accomplish this using a server, application streaming, or locally running the complete application on the endpoint device while running in a runtime environment rather than on the native hardware. A server runs the application entirely and provides the user interface to the client device.
• Network Virtualization: Using network virtualization, servers are instantaneously assigned specific network components and features, such as IP configuration and file sharing. As a result, network administrators are able to change and manage these components without affecting any physical components.
• Desktop Virtualization: This enables you to run various operating systems on the same machine. This can be done using local desktop virtualization or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), which runs a hypervisor on a local computer and enables you to run an additional operating system on that computer. VDI runs multiple desktops on a central server and streams them to users who log in on client devices.
• Storage Virtualization: All storage devices on a network, including standalone ones and those installed on individual servers, can be accessed and managed as a single storage device because of storage virtualization. They can be reassigned to any networked virtual machine as required by storing them in a common pool.

Benefits of Virtualization:

• Perfect use of the available resources or hardware.
• The installation process for numerous machines takes less time.
• To deliver a variety of services, downtime can be reduced.
• Single management and simple maintenance 
• Reduce expenses 
• Boosting effectiveness and preserving server space.
• Security
• It makes it simple to reverse virus attacks, unlike traditional systems. If required, the virtual computer can even be recreated or removed.

Drawbacks of Virtualization:

Virtualization can potentially have security issues as well. All associated virtual machines and operating systems are at risk if the hypervisor is attacked. Because virtual machines may connect with one another without a real network due to hypervisors, it might be challenging to spot suspicious activities.

Conclusion:

Despite its shortcomings, virtualization appears to be the next big thing in technology. Given that almost everything is stored on the cloud. Virtualization will be an effective way to save expenses while maximizing productivity as technological demands rise.  Applications known as containers also allow users to execute multiple programs simultaneously on a single machine. The programs could be system libraries, tools, or code written in any language. Containers make it possible to develop distributed apps, cloud-native applications, and other types of applications in the same environments.